Breeding as a hobby - which direction to take?

So I want to start breeding as a hobby. I don't really want to make a ton of money, maybe enough to fund my ball python addiction! I currently have 3 boys, 2 of which are 50% het for albino. I'm not really too terribly impressed with the albino gene. I also have a pastel. My ideas are:

-Get a proven het albino female and attempt to prove out my 50% hets.

-Get a female pin to breed to the pastel to eventually make all sorts of morphs with pastel/super pastel, etc. I'd also include a spider in these plans. I really love the different morphs you can get from pastel/spider/pin, etc.

-Get a female butter or lesser. Eventually get a male of the opposite and breed them for BEL.

For now I'm thinking either of the first 2 options. I could also just get a normal female and start there. I will not begin breeding until the 2013 breeding season. I'm currently setting money aside for a female rack, a hatchling rack and an incubator. So what do you think? Any other ideas I haven't presented here? Oh, one of my 50% het for albino males is also 66% het for axanthic. Just thought I'd mention that as it might be worth it to try and prove him out, as well.

Enchi...You can't go wrong breeding Enchis :gj:

How would I work that into what I have now? If I get an Enchi female and breed it to my males will I get Enchi offspring? *off to check out the genetic generator...

You are a genius. So how much would a sub adult female enchi cost me? I have a $300-$400 limit for an animal.

I would get a big normal gal ($100-$200) then get a smokin enchi male ($150-$300). Produce your own females, hold those back or sell them. Profit. Though I wouldn't just get 1 female in case she doesn't want to produce :P. Others will suggest several "backup" males or females so you can increase your chances of breeding :gj:.

Well for that price I could probably pick up both of those at the reptile show in October. I should have plenty saved up by that time.

Oh. And I'm with you on the albino comment. They don't impress me much. I think lavenders just push albinos further down my favorite list :D.

Oh they're beautiful, alright! I just don't think I want to breed for it because I don't really want one. The only reason why I would breed them would be to try and prove out my males.

yeah I love the Enchi idea.
Just some ideas for some more affordable ladies to breed to an enchi that will make you some really awesome combos that should definitely pay for your hobby:

Lesser for Lesser Enchis

Mojave for Mochis

Pastel for Pastel Enchis

Spider for Stingers

And if you ask me you should really be picky about your enchis. I like em super clean and somewhat reduced although there isnt really anything real special about their appearance they make really sweet combos. However I am not sure if it matters really. Its kinda like with pieds its mostly preference but a high white pied will produce high and low white pieds so it doesnt really matter what you get I guess. I hope that didnt just confuse you....

First, I would save up the money to buy a nice 10 or 12 slot rack that holds the CB70 size tubs. Then decide what you wanted to fill it with.

I agree about getting a rack.

Geez do I really need a rack that big? Okay so what do you all recommend? The Vision rack is $639 plus shipping and it doesn't even come with tubs! I was kind of hoping to start out a little smaller with 3 or 4 breeder size females. I'm a single mom with 3 kids working a minimum wage job. I'm making ends meet with my little job and saving a lot of money (considering what I make) per month but at this rate I won't be breeding until 2016!!! My set savings for my snakes is $100 a month. If my paycheck is over what my budget is set for then anything extra goes into it and sometimes I make tips. Those go in there, also.

Build your own rack. It's so much cheaper. If your not good at those things, see if you can find someone to help you.
Also check out Craigslist, sometimes people sell racks on there for pretty cheap :gj:

snakes will always be there, but they will need a place to go right?

Def/ get the Enchi, and remember, the age of the snake, so if it is young, you will have awhile before you can breed it. So, lots of time to save up either way :-D


I'm in the same vote as you. New hobby, and learning experience. I just picked up a 5 rack (pvc setup), scored it for $200. So, shop around, and try and find some deals.

good luck :D

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2 of which are 50% het for albino.

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I'm not really too terribly impressed with the albino gene.

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Based on those 2 I would not bother trying to prove them out.

It could take years for you to do so with a het albino female.

You might luck out the first 2 years and it could be 3 years before one of those boys proves if they even prove, and in the meantime if they don't you would not really produce anything really valuable on a retail standpoint (I sell possible hets wholesale at normal prices)

Additionally since you are not impress with the gene why even bother spending what could be the next 6 years producing normal looking animal if you have no interest in the gene especially considering the price of albino now.

Food for the thought.

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Originally Posted by heathers*bps

Build your own rack. It's so much cheaper. If your not good at those things, see if you can find someone to help you.
Also check out Craigslist, sometimes people sell racks on there for pretty cheap :gj:

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Ditto! You can go to HomeDepot or Lowes. Get the coated melamine sheets. Ask them to cut it for you as well. You can make a 5 tub rack for really cheap. Here's a link to give you an idea. The biggest expense is the t-stat and heat tape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEyNBUUf-SA

You can look through here as well:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...y-and-Supplies

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Based on those 2 I would not bother trying to prove them out.

It could take years for you to do so with a het albino female.

You might luck out the first 2 years and it could be 3 years before one of those boys proves if they even prove, and in the meantime if they don't you would not really produce anything really valuable on a retail standpoint (I sell possible hets wholesale at normal prices)

Additionally since you are not impress with the gene why even bother spending what could be the next 6 years producing normal looking animal if you have no interest in the gene especially considering the price of albino now.

Food for the thought.

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^^ I was thinking this exact thing the entire time. ^^

I'd personally sell both males and get something you'd rather work with. I love the albino gene, have you seen a black pastel albino? With the prices of albinos it's really not worth trying to prove out poss. hets. I'd highly recommend getting at least one big proven normal female and a nice male you'd like to work with, whatever morph you like the most that fits in your budget. I'd also recommend getting a hatchling female that fits in your breeding goals to raise up for the next couple or so years. There are many morphs that fit into your budget. You don't want to rush into anything. 3 nice snakes to start off with is perfect, plus you have the potential for a single pairing around a year from purchase or sooner if you get a male with some size.

As for racks I'd build my own for cheap. If you cannot or do not want to build your own I'd recommend these: reptile basics, animal plastics, or C Serpents for more affordable pre-built racks.

IMO you should look at the guide to morphs on this site, choose something you like and go for it! Depending on what you choose (designer morphs), it might be a two or three generation project, but you'll eventually get a snake that you love!

I would not build my own rack but buy a quality one. If you buy a nice one(new or used) it will last a lot longer then any particular board rack. The difference in price of building your own and buying one is not that large any ways. But it's your choice so choose whats best for you.

Oh and I chose animal plastics economy line. Works very great for me.

Thanks for all of the advice, guys! I won't get rid of my 2 guys. Simply because they're pets and have sentimental value. I like the economy AP racks and I'll be going that direction! I plan on attending the reptile show in Atlanta in October and picking up a girl then. I'd like either an enchi, a pin, a spider and/or a normal to begin with. Possibly a pastel if it's a nice one.

Racks in themselves are the more preferred option for housing large quantities of BP's in small spaces. though they can be pricey if pre-manufactured. and a royal PIA if home made. if a 10 or 12 slot rack is to much up front, you can get them in smaller slot choices, 3-4-5-6-Etc. although in the end you will pay more going with 2 or 3 smaller racks than the one large one upfront. we had this choice available to us this year when deciding on a hatchling rack, and we chose to purchase it pre-made from animal plastics and went with the IRIS330(15) 15 SHELVES HIGH, 45 TUBS TOTAL . they are lighter, easier to move around when needed, easy to disassemble for moving, plus the racks pre-made you will have tubs available to you if any of yours break, nothing worse then trying to find a tub that has been discontinued or redesigned and wont fit in your home made rack.

as far as the gene idea's i agree with Deb, ditch the poss hets and get something you want to work with, it is a hobby, get what you enjoy, then work from there. i personally do not plan on ever purchasing a Het for anything, unless it is just something in there on the visual base. IE: Clown Poss het O.G.. although eventually i may try to prove it out, my main focus would be the visual Clown breeding's.

Good Luck either way you go.

My 2 possible het boys are pets. The first one was purchased from a local breeder when I lived in TN and I didn't care that he was het for anything. The 2nd one I got was a prize from a photo contest. He's actually 66% het for axanthic, also. But, like I said, I don't really want to breed for albino or axanthic so if I do choose to breed those animals it won't be for that.

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Originally Posted by Punkymom

My 2 possible het boys are pets. The first one was purchased from a local breeder when I lived in TN and I didn't care that he was het for anything. The 2nd one I got was a prize from a photo contest. He's actually 66% het for axanthic, also. But, like I said, I don't really want to breed for albino or axanthic so if I do choose to breed those animals it won't be for that.

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nothing wrong with that!.

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Originally Posted by JennM

Ditto! You can go to HomeDepot or Lowes. Get the coated melamine sheets. Ask them to cut it for you as well. You can make a 5 tub rack for really cheap. Here's a link to give you an idea. The biggest expense is the t-stat and heat tape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEyNBUUf-SA

You can look through here as well:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...y-and-Supplies

Good luck!

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Considering that you can get a 5 tub rack of the ecomomy plastics line from Animal plastics for $235.00 with heat, I would buy rather than build. I've built plenty of racks myself in the past and frankly when you consider the time involved of building your own and the much lighter weight/easier to clean product you get from one of the cage manufacturers, I personally would not build my own again.

The reason I said 10-12 slot rack is because if you're really serious about breeding, you'll fill it up in no time. You don't HAVE to use every slot but it's always a good idea to have spare space available. You could always go with one of the 5-6 slot racks that are stackable so that it's easier to add on.

It'll take me a long time to fill a 10-12 slot rack with snakes. Single mom of 3, remember? I make minimum wage. How do the economy racks retain heat? I have one of the racks from Reptile Basics and it's great. We keep our house cold in the winter and before I got the rack I had the hardest time keeping their cages warm. They were in tanks and then they were in tubs but not in a rack. Until I got the rack I was struggling to keep their temps up.

Okay so after doing a quick search on here I'm not going to go with the economy rack. We keep our house too cold for that.

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Originally Posted by Punkymom

It'll take me a long time to fill a 10-12 slot rack with snakes. Single mom of 3, remember? I make minimum wage. How do the economy racks retain heat? I have one of the racks from Reptile Basics and it's great. We keep our house cold in the winter and before I got the rack I had the hardest time keeping their cages warm. They were in tanks and then they were in tubs but not in a rack. Until I got the rack I was struggling to keep their temps up.

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Why not get another RBI rack if you have one already and like it? They are stackable so you can order more as you need them.

Yep! That's what I'm going to do. It might end up being more expensive in the long run, but I love the RBI racks!